Welcoming Song
by Crossover-Forever
Summary: When a new maid (yes, maid!) starts working at Redd's shop, people get suspicious - especially Katrina.
1. Graceful

Welcoming Song

Summary: When a new maid (yes, maid!) starts working at Redd's shop, people get suspicious - especially Katrina.

...

_To Jakob.  
Have you ever thought of me?_

...

XuX

**Chapter 1: Graceful**

She rode the bus to Volante City. It was a bumpy ride to the city, and the bu driver was trying his best to make it smooth. She sat in the back, and clutched the material in the dress. _Don't rip it,_ She told herself, _This is a qualite dress._ She was getting odd looks from the other people and animals on the bus. I mean, who would wear a maid dress to the city? But this lady didn't care; she was on a mission.

This girl's name is Marie. Her scarlet hair was tied up into a tight bun. She had on black and white checkered ballet flats. She was going to the city to see a certain somone for a certain job.

Marie was the last one to get off of the bus, but no one could have wanted to get off of it more. It was a cloudy day in Volante City, just the thing to match her mood. She greatly disliked this job, but it was very important. If she didn't, the top dogs might -no _will_- chew her up and spit her out.

She quickly walked into the dark alley before she got any more funny looks from pedestrains. She made her way to the dark blue metal door. She held up her knuckles to knock, but the door already opened.

"Quick, get in." Marie quickly and quietly slipped into the business. This was the business for people below her, but she was forced to take it. The room was dimly lit, as if hiding was something it was capible of. There was a painting -probably a conterfit-, and a couple pieces of furniture. The place wasn't big, and only held a few piece of merchandise.

The person quickly locked the door shut. He turned to look at Marie. "C'mon, smile," He said, playfully punching her in the arm. Marie forced a smile. She wasn't... _that. _She wasn't a prostitute. She knew that most people thought that. She was simply a maid, hired for a business.

It was odd, even Marie admitted that. It wasn't for the money -heavens, no- and it wasn't for the shopkeeper, or any of the products he sold. It was simply for spying; nothing more, nothing less.

Marie looked at her boss. "Of course, sir," She replied. Her boss was was the infamous kitsune named Redd. He had the blue apron tied around his waist. The building she was in was the Black Market, or Crazy Redd's.

"Good," Redd nodded, mostly to himself, "Make some tea. I'm having a very important customer coming here around eight."

"Yes, sir," Marie complied, escaping into a back room. She started to boil some water in a tea kettle. She fished the teapot and teacups from the cupbaords. A single light bulb hung from a strained wire from the ceiling. That, and the little light that crepped from under the door, were the only things illuminating the kitchen. One can only imagine how dark it was in that room.

The door creaked open, and she heard the lock click in place. She could get out. Redd just preferred letting everyone know that the door was locked.

As she waited for the water to boil, Marie fiddled with the silver band around her finger. It meant so much. The band meant she wouldn't have to work at this... _God forsaken_ place. Yet... here she was...

She sighed cheerlessly. The water was boiling, and the sprout whistled. She poured some of the hot water into the teapot. She swished it around the pot, then quickly dumped it out. Marie poured in a teaspoon of crushed tea leaves, and filled the teapot just a little more than half way up with water. She found the heating pad (a fire hazard thrown in the cabinet closest to the oven), and set the timer on the oven for five minutes. The tea had to be heated for exactly five minutes; any less and the tea would be ruined.

Marie walked into the salesroom. There was a small wooden table in the corner, abondoned. She pushed it into the middle of the room. It was nothing fancy; it was just a bunch of random pieces of wood nailed together. The thing wasn't even sanded. She was surprised the craftsman even added a cherry finish.

She fetched some folding chairs from a supply closet off of the kitchen. She set them up, one facing the other. _Beep. _The tea was ready!

Marie rushed into the kitchen. She turned off the heat pad, and set it out on the counter to cool. She placed the teapot, teacups, plates, and tea kettle onto a silver tray. The door creaked. She picked up the tray, and walked into the salesroom. As she expected, it was Redd and his 'very important' customer.

"Master Redd," She greeted cheerily, "I've made the tea like you requested." She placed the tray on the table.

"Ah, I forgot to mention my employee, Marie," Redd talked, "Marie, this Jack le Borne, the private owner of many wonderful pieces of art. Jack, this is Marie."

Marie curtseyed. "How do you do?" She asked politely.

Jack gave a chuckle. "A polite young lady," He commented, "and quite a piece of art. But I must ask, mademoiselle. Can you sing?"

"Sing?" Marie asked, confused, "O-of course, I can sing." She felt herself blush.

"May you enlighten us with your voice?" He asked.

"Y-yes," Marie took a deep breath as she sang _Amazing Grace._

_"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,  
That saved a wretch like me...  
I once was lost but now am found,  
Was blind, but now, I see..."_

She stuttered a little bit, not use to performing in front of a crowd, even if it was only two other people. Jack clapped. "Bravo," He applouded, "You have such a lovely voice."

"Th-thank you..."

"That was quite a show, Marie," Redd interupted, "but can we get back to the actual artwork?"

"Yes, of course," Jack said. They started talking about business. Marie quickly, but carefully, poured their tea, and excused herself.

**A/N That was fun to write! This is my first non-crossover fanfiction. To be honest, I'm worried about this one for some reason. I'm not sure if it's because it's not a crossover, or if it's because of all of the OCs. I have no idea. I hoped you liked it...**


	2. Patient

**Chapter 2: Patient**

Jack and Redd's meeting lasted for what seemed like an entire month. Marie busied herself with some discarded magazines Redd had left in the closet. She was called back occasionally to pour them more tea, but that was it. Each time, her hands were unsteady, and she accidentally poured some tea leaves into their cups. Redd looked annoyed, but Jack didn't seem to mind.

Marie's heart was pounding, pounding, pounding. She tried reading an old _Reader's Diguest_, but she just couldn't sit still. She noticed the folding chairs slide noislessly across the tatami flooring. The wooden door muffled out most of their goodbyes, but Marie still heard Redd call her. "Marie, come here for a moment!"

"Yes, Master Redd?" She inquired, stepping out of the kitchen.

"I just wanted to say goodbye to you, mademoiselle," Jack said, taking a step towards her. He gazed into her hazel eyes, but she turned away. Marie knew she was already blushing. Jack chuckled. "Goodbye, Marie." He bowed.

"G-goodbye," She squeaked, awkwardly curtseying. Marie nearly tripped on herself.

He grabbed her, to make sure Marie wouldn't fall. He smirked, and she quickly backed away. Jack finally made his leave, wordless.

Marie sighed in relief. That guy was finally gone. _Why did I have to make myself look like a complete idiot?_ She thought.

Redd sighed. "If that guy wasn't paying top Bell for my merchandise," He muttered, "I would've kicked him out." He sighed and checked his watch. "Oh my! It nearly eleven thirty!" He gasped, looking up at Marie. "You can leave now."

"See ya'," She mumbled, rushing out of the door. Marie couldn't see the stars, and she quickly walked to the bus stop. She had to maneuver around some trash bags filled to the brim with garbage. Some people or animals must've left them out in the few hours she was at work. The buildings, dirty and the paint chipping, stood tall, corrupted from Volante City's madness. The moon shone through the clouds, showing off its crescent shape. Marie was surprised it wasn't raining. A few of the late night shoppers gave her looks, when a small light grey kangaroo bounced up to her.

"Lady, why are you dressed like that?" He asked. He looked up at her with curiosity.

Marie just frowned at him. "Get lost," She mumbled. _Why aren't you a cat?_ She thought, a cruel joke.

"Scotty! I told you not to talk to her!" The mother scolded, dragging him away. Marie would've exploded (What was a little kid doing out at eleven, anyway?) if the bus hadn't came. She rushed on, paid the bus fare, and sat in the back.

Kapp'n was like a student driver, always scared of hitting something. He would speed up, then slow down. Marie didn't mind, though. She was absorbed in her thoughts. _I'm supposed to be spying, not acting all... weird... around guys! I guess I should tell Sophie..._

She wasn't concentrating, and almost missed her stop. She rushed off of the bus. Marie walked to her apartment a block away. She unlocked the door to find her cousin, Sophia, or 'Sophie', in the kitchen, baking. Marie was tired, but not too tired to notice the luscious aroma of cookies. The kitchen's walls were a pale yellow, with fairly new appliances lining the countertops. The navy blue marble counters with swirling white patterns contrasted with the hardwood floor. It's like someone took leftover materials and threw them all together to make her kitchen. She liked it; and most of the time reminded her of a bumblebee for some reason.

But the only thing that mattered to her right then was getting her cousin to sleep. "Soph, what are you doing?" She asked, rushing into her room.

"Cooking," She replied, tasting a cookie. Marie undressed, and threw the outit into the corner. She hated that outfit, even though it was a GracieGrace brand item.

"It's nearly twelve o'clock," Marie pointed out. She slipped into a blue sundress with tiny, white polka dots.

"I know," She started to scrape the cookies off of the baking sheet with a fork.

"Then why are you up?" Marie walked out of her room. She looked at her cousin, tired.

"Baking cookies," Sophia answered, "So how was your day?"

"Horrible," Marie answered, "A customer came today. Jack le Borne, I think. He was an arrogant jerk." She throw herself onto the stool next to the counter. She just now noticed that the radio played softly. It was playing a John Mayer song, _Waiting On The World To Change_.

_"So we keep waiting  
(Waiting)  
Waiting on the world to change  
We keep on waiting  
(Waiting)  
Waiting on the world to change..."_

Sophie tensed up a little. She understood their secret code. "Okay," She said. Marie untied her hair, realesing it from the prison called a bun. They had to talk in code. If there were bugs, they wouldn't understand what they were saying. Marie doubted it, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Sophie kept on scrapping the cookies off of the tray. "How was your day?" Marie asked.

"Okay," She replied, "I got a 'B' on my social studies test."

Marie nodded. "Did you study any?" She asked.

"Yes!" She answered, turning around and pointing the fork at her, "I studied at least three hours for that damn test. Miss Whiskers gave me extra material to study, too."

"Well, a 'B' is better than an 'F'," Marie pointed out, shrugging her shoulders, "Be sure to tell Annabelle that." Annabelle was Sophie's friend, as well as the daughter of police chief Copper.

"True." Sophie admitted. She went back to scrapping the cookies.

Marie stood up. "Well, I'm going to bed," she announced, "Be sure to turn off the lights."

"Alrighty roo!" Sophie agreed. Marie dragged herself towards her room. _Man, this job is gonna kill me..._ She thought as she crawled under the blankets.

Within a few seconds, Marie dropped into dreamless sleep.

**A/N I just realized... Jack le Borne is NOT the czar of Halloween! **


	3. Colorful

**Chapter 3: Colorful**

Marie's eyes fluttered open. She got well more than eight hours of sleep. The digital clock of her night stand said it was twelve thirty-five. She dragged herself out of bed, and she walked into the kitchen.

Tape to the toaster, was Sophie's note. Whenever they had to tell each other something, they usually did that. It was odd, but it was special to them.

She fought with the toaster (or maybe the tape...) for the note, and won. She unfolded it, and read _'Annabelle said he's cute.'_ At the bottom, she drew a winky face, ;-).

Marie smiled. This meant she could do whatever she wanted, but, of all things, _to be careful_.

She cooked a breafast of toast, Nutella, and orange juice. She went back to her room to chane out of the dress she slept in. Marie pulled a plain white long-sleeve shirt over her head. She picked out her green, black, and white check dress that came down to her knees, and a pair of black leather cowboy boots. She tied her hair up into pig tails, giving her a childish look. Marie grabbed her hot pink messanger bag, and her wallet, and started on her way.

She took the bus to Volante City's neighbor, Jatia. _I hope this doesn't get them hurt... or worst..._ Marie could tell Kapp'n was looking at her, but she sat in the back, as usual. His star-gazing at her made him a horrible driver (at least, more than usual.) and nearly got the people and animals on the bus killed. Twice. She got off at the 5th Street stop fasting . She pulled out her smart phone. _One oh three... They'll be home._ She thought confidently to herself. She was glad she only had to work from eight to eleven at night.

She walked down the street, smiling. She turned east past the ice cream shop. Even from the end of the street, she already spotted the house she wanted to visit. She quickened her pace. It was the forth house from the end. As always, it was a pure bright white, not a speck of dust on the snowy exterior.

She walked up the steps to the front porch. She held up her hand, but hesitated. _I haven't seen him in so long..._ She gulped, hesitation looming over her. Before she could object to herself any more, she knocked.

Marie whated for a moment. The moment became a minute. A minute become a few. Her smile soon faded away. _Maybe I was wrong... Maybe they aren't here..._ She turned to leave, already down the steps, when she heard him say, "Hello?"

Marie turned around. She smiled again. "Do you remember me? Malachi?" A breeze sent her hair swaying.

"Umm..." He replied, looking at her dumbfounded.

An old lady walked up to the door. "Who's there, Malachi?" She asked.

"Hello, Delilah," Marie greeted.

Delilah squinted her eyes. "Is... Is that really you?" She asked.

Marie giggled. "At least someone remembers me."

"Marie?" She said.

She walked up to them. "Sure been a long time, hasn't it?"

Malachi blinked. "Oh," He said, "Oh! Marie?" He shook his head as if he couldn't believe it himself. "It has been a long time," He chuckled.

"Come in! Come in!" Delilah ushered her inside. She shut the door behind them. "How have you been?"

"Not so great," Marie sighed, "I have the worst job now."

"Really? What's the job?" Malachi showed the mild curiosity that she's always had known.

Marie admitted, "I am now working as a... maid." She cringed and blush.

Malachi put his hand over his mouth as a half-hearted attempt to hide his chuckling. Delilah eyes widened. "You aren't being touched, are you?" She shouted.

"N-no," Marie answered. Malachi broke out in a laughin fit, making no attempt to hide it. Delilah relaxed a little. "S-stop..."

Malachi calmed down. "Sorry," He apologized, "It's not every day you hear something as crazy as that."

Marie shook her head. "How are you guys?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," Delilah answered, "Haven't gotten bedridden yet!" The strong willed old woman took a little too much pride in that.

Marie laughed. "How about you, Mali?"

"My work's been doing well," He said, "I can show you some if you'd like."

"Sure," Marie stood up. Malachi lead her upstairs towards his room. Delilah smirked, and stayed downstairs.

Malachi's room was small, a bed in the corner, and a desk pushed up against the wall. There was a window above his bed. He had two wooden easels folded up, leaning against the wall oppisite of the bed. He had several canvases next to the easels. The walls were more decorated with cool designs from when Malachi must've painted them.

_Same as always._ When they were kids, it'd had been stacks of _Scooby Doo _memorabelia instead of art supplies. He shut the door behind them, and started searching through some paintings, searching for a certain one.

"Here we go," He picked up a small rectangular canvas. He held it out to her. "I hope you like it..." He said sheepishly.

She took it, holding it gently. It read 'Marie', in all capital letters. The letter weere twirly, a bright aqua blue. The background was a garden, much resembling Delilah's garden in the backyard. Marie was speechless. "It took me a while to finish it," He commented, "I think it's my best work."

"It is... my name, right?" She asked. Marie wasn't an uncommon name.

"Yeah," He replied.

"Thanks," Marie smiled. _I guess he does remember me..._ She tried to hand it back to him.

"Oh! You can have it, you know," He said.

"Really?" She was surprised. Malachi nodded. "Th-thank you." She carefully placed it into her messanger bag.

"No problem." Malachi sat on the bed next to her. He smirked. "I wonder what you look like in a maid's outfit," He commented.

Marie rolled her eyes. "That's work only," She replied, "I doubt I'd even wear anything maid related after this finishes."

"You like pretty in anything," He complimented, "You've always had."

Marie felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "Hey, let's go get some ice cream. It'll be on me," He suggested, and they both left his room.

Downstairs, Malachi shouted, "Delilah! We're going out!"

"Good!" Delilah shouted. "'Bout time you got a girlfriend!"

Malachi cringed and Marie laughed. They walked down the street, back to the corner shop. It was run by a family of squirrels, but they had the best ice cream in all of Jatia. The place was nearly empty, except for a small family of bunnies.

They walked up to the cashier. "Hey ya', hey ya', hey ya'!" A teal squirrel with yellow stripes greeted, "How can I, like, take your order?"

"A small chocolate shake," Marie said.

"I'll take a small vanilla shake," Malachi replied. He pulled out his wallet.

"That'll be three fifty-two!" The cheery squirrel said. Malachi paid, and the squirrel procceeded to make them. They thanked her for the shakes, and they sat at a table.

"Speaking of your lovelife," Marie commented, "How's yours? Got a girl yet?"

"No," Malachi responded, "I had a girl, but she got away." Marie nodded. She wanted to know more, but didn't want to pry. "What about you?"

"My gosh, it's complicated," Marie put her head in her hands. Malachi chuckled.

A silence passed over them. "Marie," Malachi said, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Yeah? What is it?" Marie asked.

"I-"

And that was when she got that eventful phone call.


	4. Lucid

**Chapter 4: Lucid**

Marie's ringtone of _I Gotta Feeling_ by the Black Eyed Peas filled the air. It was loud enough to startle the squirrel behind the counter. The family of bunnies looked annoyed.

_I gotta feeling (ooooo hoooo) that tonight's gonna be a good night _  
_ That tonight's gonna be a good night  
That tonight's gonna be a good good night..._

She anwsered it quickly, not wanting to disturb the other customers any more than she already had, "Hello?"

"Oh! Marie! Hi," The voice on the other end said. It sounded worried. It sounded faintly... familiar, in a way. Marie heard a faint tapping in the background.

"Oh, hey," She replied calmly, but annoyed. She realized who it was; the annoying kitsune named Redd spoke nervously on the other line of the phone.

"Well, I was wondering if you could come to work," He suggested, "Like, right now. You don't have to be dressed up or anything."

"Why?" Marie asked, irrated.

"Well, it's the kind of situation that needs your tea making skills," He replied. Tea? Was that what was worrying him?

"Fine," She sighed, "I'll be there soon." She turned off her phone. "I'm sorry Malachi, but I have to go. Thank you for everything." She grabbed her milkshake, and rushed out of the ice cream shop. She didn't hear Malachi calling after her.

Marie ran down the street, knocking over an old tiger in the process. "Sorry!" She called back, but kept running. The bus stop finally came into view, and Kapp'n was just pulling in. _I'll make it! _Marie thought anxiously as she run up the steps on the bus. She paid the bus fair, and sat in the back seat.

_What could Redd want?_ She wondered. Marie realized that she still had her milkshake in her hand. She was surprised it didn't bust from the tight death grip she was holding it in. Marie tried to calm down, but everything she was doing wasn't working. She tried to count backwards from ten, taking deep breaths, and thinking about snow, but nothing worked.

The bus (after what seemed like forever) finally stopped at Volante City. She jumped off of the bus and halfheartedly jogged towards the shop. She actually knocked. Redd didn't open the door before he had the chance.

Marie was certainly confused. She walked in, to find an exotic black panther standing in the middle of the shop, tapping her paw on the floor to relieve some nervous energy. "Uh..." Marie said, "Hello?"

"See, Katrina?" Redd rushed over to the cat, "She's just an employee. We are not in a relationship _of any kind_." He placed his paws on Katrina's shoulder, but she shoved him and backed away.

"No!" She shouted, throwing her hands in the air, "I don't care! I don't trust her."

"You don't trust me?" Marie spoke timidly. She never met this animal; how can she _not_ trust her? Maybe she's xenophobic, but she looks foreign. Why?

"Listen," Katrina walked over to her. Her face changed from anger to that of sadness or sensitivity, "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but... who wears a _maid outfit_ to a business that hardly gets any customers?"

Marie was shocked. This cat thought she was a _prostitute_? She sighed. _I could say the same to you_ she thought.

"Well, I do," Marie had to chose her words carefully, crossing her arms, "The maid outfit isn't revealing. I just prefer to wear it. If it makes you feel any better, I'll wear something else."

Katrina sighed, "It's alright. I just wanted to hear it from you." She looked at Redd, "Oh, and we're breaking up." She had a thin smile on her face, and stomped out of the store.

She slammed the door behind her. Redd quickly rushed outside to try to get her back. "Wait! Katrina!" He shouted. Katrina didn't look back, and just flipped a very rude gesture at him. Redd walked back into the shop. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He directed his anger to the scary painting he had for sale. He punched a hole through it, knocking it off its easel.

"Are you alright, Redd?" Marie asked, cautiously taking a step towards him.

"No!" he exploded, "My girlfriend left me, and these damn forgeries aren't selling. Hell, nothing's selling! _Nothing!_ Not even the furniture."

It took everything for Marie not to smile. "Okay," She redjusted her purse, getting ready to leave, "I still have to come here for work tonight, right?"

"No," Redd sighed, "If Katrina is going to be this suspicious, you might as well be fired." He looked at her. The painting was completely ruined and probably wouldn't be sold now or in the future.

"Marie, you're fired."

**A/N- Didn't get to my 1,000 word quota, but I figured I should post this anyway.**


End file.
